Awards & Grants
Each year, NYFA provides over $4 million in cash grants to individuals pursuing artistic excellence in all forms.
RECURRING GRANTS
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
NYFA provides unrestricted grants of $8,000 to New York-based artists through the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program. First launched in 1985, the program has provided over $30 million to artists in 15 disciplines at critical stages in their creative development.
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Major funding is also provided by the New York State Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).
Here are some fellows you’ll recognize.
NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
In partnership with the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre provides grants of up to $50,000 to encourage and support the creation of digital, film, music, television, and live theatre content that reflects the voices and perspectives of all who identify as women.
Queens Arts Fund
Queens Arts Fund (QAF) offers project-based grants to Queens-based artists, artist collectives, and small non-profit organizations to support the local production of artwork and cultural programs that highlight, engage, and bolster the diverse communities of the Queens borough. The Fiscal Year 2023 program is administered by NYFA in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and Queens Council on the Arts (QCA).
QAF offers Arts Access Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to Queens-based small-budget 501c3 nonprofit organizations or unincorporated artist collectives. QAF also offers New Work Grants of $3,000 to Queens-based individual artists, unincorporated artist collectives, or collaborations between multiple artists of all disciplines to support the creation of new work.
Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants
Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants provide up to $20,000 to support environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.
The JGS Fellowship for Photography
The JGS Fellowship for Photography is a $8,000 cash grant open to New York State photography artists living and working outside of New York City. The support for this funding is provided by The Joy of Giving Something (JGS). The JGS Fellowship for Photography will be integrated into the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Photography category in the 2022 and 2025 cycles.
The Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Dramatic Writing Award
The Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Dramatic Writing Award is an $8,000 cash grant to be awarded to one (1) New York State-based playwright or screenwriter who self-identifies as LGBTQ+. The Award, which honors the life and work of playwright Ryan Hudak, will be open to practicing playwrights or screenwriters who live in New York State, including those who live within the five boroughs of New York City.
Recharge New Surrealist Prize
Recharge New Surrealist Prize is a $7,000 award for painters living in the United States or U.S. Territories who are working in the New Surrealist style. The award program, formerly known as the Recharge Foundation Fellowship for New Surrealist Art, is funded by the Gu Family of the Recharge Foundation. Students in bachelor’s or master’s degree programs are welcome to apply.
Canadian Women Artists’ Award
The Canadian Women Artists’ Award is a $5,000 cash grant open to Canadian women artists ages 25-40 who are current residents of New York State. To apply, applicants must be a Canadian citizen, and able to provide proof of citizenship with legal documentation upon receipt of the award. Students in degree-seeking programs are welcome to apply. It is supported by funding granted to NYFA by the Canadian Women’s Club (CWC) of New York as a way to continue its philanthropic work when it disbanded.
EMERGENCY GRANTS
Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants
The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental and mental health emergencies. The grants are available to artists creating in visual arts, film/video/digital/electronic arts, and choreography in financial need who are currently residing in the United States, District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, and Tribal Nations. This project is supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants
As of July 2023, the Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants program provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to eligible dancers facing dire financial emergencies, due to the loss or lack of recent/current live performance work, because of circumstances outside of their control. Common circumstances include canceled performances, cutbacks or cancellations of dance engagement contracts, loss of touring opportunities, and ongoing shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.
*Dire financial emergencies include the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine/healthcare, utilities, and food. This project is supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
INVITE-ONLY GRANTS
Latinx Artist Fellowship
The Latinx Artist Fellowship awards a multigenerational cohort of 15 Latinx visual artists $50,000 each, for an initial commitment of five years. This award is the first significant prize of its kind and celebrates the plurality and diversity of Latinx artists and aesthetics. Designed to address a systemic and longstanding lack of support, and now in its third year, NYFA administers the Latinx Artist Fellowship in collaboration with the US Latinx Art Forum, with support from the Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
Murray Reich Distinguished Artist Award
With the support of an anonymous donor, the annual Murray Reich Distinguished Artist Award enables artists with a long history of creative practice to pursue deeper investigations or new explorations that can inform and enrich their work. It was developed in memory of the artist Murray Reich, a New York-based painter who also had a highly-regarded career as a professor of art at Bard College.
Tomorrowland Projects Foundation Award
The Tomorrowland Projects Foundation supports artistic, multi-disciplinary team collaborations and artist-driven projects that expand awareness of issues affecting society-at-large, and considers award-planning funds to develop new technology, research, and installation art.
Image: Kuldeep Singh (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work ’18); ARCHITECTONICS OF DISPERSION \ immersive acts and objects; 2017; installation-based collaborative performance; paintings and sculptures in mud, dough, and fabric with performative acts; Photo Credit: Zhiyuan Yang
